STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 160, 8 July 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

STAGE JOTTINGS.

The Lyceum Dramatic Company opened to a good house last Wednesday evening at the Opera House. "For the Term of His Natural Life" was the piece staged, with Mr Walter Dalgleiah cast as Rufus Dawes.

Faning and Rivers' Royal Specialty Company, including two of the leading members of the Gaiety Company playing at the City Hall, are about to tour New Zealand. They open at Napier on July 15, and visit most of the Southern towns with a strong company of variety artists. The company should do good business. On Monday night a farewell benefit will be tendered by the Gaiety Company to Mr Charles Faning and Mr Walter Rivers, and as both are very popular artists a good house may be expected

The Musical Union give their first concert of the season in the Choral Hall next Monday evening.

Mr "Pete" Hughes, who is wellknown to all playgoers in New Zealand, has received a very handsome present from the members of the Sign of the Cross Company. This took the shape of a solid silver cabinet for holding cigars and cigarettes, bearing a suitable inscription. Mr Hughes is at present in Brisbane with the Firm's Opera Company.

The New Zealand Natives' Association Operatic Society (Wellington) have decided to play "Rip Van Winkle," and will perform it in October. They thought of playing ".Marjorie," but Messrs Williamson and Musgrove's price (£IOO for a week) for the right to produce that opera was considered too high.

Mcllle.Trebelli' and Mr Prouse will take part in the performance of "Elijah" at Christchurch, and will be assisted by the chorus and orchestra of the Musical Union and Motett Society.

Mr Bland Holt intends to visit New Zealand in the spring. He will beg-in his tour in .Cbristchurch on October 31st. \

The Toy Concert Company, comprising Mr Ernest Toy,' Miss M. Dalrymple, Miss Rene Lees, and Mr Howard (baritone singer), left Sydney for a tour of Queensland this week.

Mr Arthur Deane, who was out here with .Mdme. Amy Sherwin's concert party, is now one of the principal baritones of the Carl Rosa Opera Company. Madame Sherwin was to make her first appearance on "the variety stage at the Palace Theatre, London, on 27th April, on the occasion of the matinee in aid of the Saturday Lifeboat fund.

Miss Celia Dampier, the clever little Auckland violinist, recently gave a successful farewell concert in Sydney, on the eve of her approaching" departure for Europe, where she will continue her musical studies.

Miss Florrie West is now in Kansas City, and she has had several offers from American managers to play soubrette roles. During her voyage from Australia to the States Miss West caught a severe cold, which developed into la grippe. The attack, however, was not sufficiently severe to interfere much with business.

Miss Amy/- Castles, accompanied by her mother, will, according to present arrangements, leave Australia about August 10, and live in Paris for three years. At the expiration of that time she is to return to Australia and sing.

John Fuller is now1 in Melbourne with his Myriorama Company. He opened at the Town Hall on July 1 in a pictorial treatment of "London Day by Day," embellished by songs and recitations.

Mr Durward Lely, who toured the colonies a short time ago, is now at his Highland home at Glenardle, Bridge of Cally, N. 8., where he is enjoying a rest, and is said to be having excellent sport among the trout and salmon.

Last month Madame Adelina Patti appeared at the Albert Hall, London, for the first time since her marriage, and received a warm welcome. There was si tremendous audience; every part of the building was packed, and the terrific applause and lovely bouquets showed the great singer is still as popular as ever. The concert opened with the "Wedding March," on the organ. She sang .the cavatiha "Caro Nome," from Verdi's "Rigoletto," and "0 luce di quest anima," from Donizetti's "Linda di Chamouni," giving two encores. After her third song she was twice recalled; even then the audience would not be satisfied, and vainly clamoured for her reappearance. In the second part of the concert she sang "Angels Ever Bright and Fair," arid as an encore gave "Home Sweet Home" as Patti alone can sing it.

Whatever may be the artistic impossibilities of Sarah Bernhardt's "Hamlet," there can be no doubt that it must be a singularly interesting performance, and all London will crowd the Adelphi next month in the attempt to witness it. Not that woman Hamlets are novelties on the English stage. Several years ago Charlotte Cushman and Miss Marriott impersonated the Danish Prince, and at the present time, I believe, Mrs Bandmann-Palmer and Miss Jannette Steer are touring the provinces with the Shakespearian tragedy. Bernhardt's acting is said to be very fine. Anyhow, it brought down thunders of applause and kept the huge first night audience in their seats till after two in the morning. Is there any known power that could achieve this in London? I doubt it.

News comes of the death of Carlotta Grissi, a famous premiere danseuse in the palmy days of .the ballet—the days when it interleaved the acts of the opera, and the chief performers were more important than prima donnas. Mr John Hollingshead, who is perhaps one of the few living playgoers .who remember Carlotta Grissi when all London flocked to see her, told a reporter it must be nearly half a century since she danced at Her Majesty's Theatre, "I didn't see her on the stage often" (he said), "as I was more or less a boy in those days, and living out Hoxton way, and with prices for the qpera as they were then, you can imagine my pocket didn't allow of much theatre-going. Carlotta Grissi was then one of the celebrated four who danced the pas de quatre. Lucille Grahn, Taglioni, andCerito were the other three. People said of Lumley, the reigning manager of that time, that he had killed the ballet by putting so many stars oh at the same time. This was, I fancy, in a production called "La Sylphide." Yes, it's just about half a century since Grissi was in the zenith of her fame. She has outlasted all her contemporaries, for Taglioni and the others are. long since dead. In the old days all Loudon went to see her, and,she was certainly a remarkably graceful dancer."

Mr Bland Holt continues to do good business at the Royal, Sydney. "Trelawny of the Wells," after an unsuccessful run of one week, has been withdrawn, and "Niobe" staged for three performances. Mrs Brough made a welcome reappearance as Niobe, one of her best characterisations. "Dandy Dick" is to be played three times, after which Mr Brough intends to stage "One Summer's Day, a love story in three acts, by H. }• Esmond. It has not been played in Sydney before, but comes with excellent credentials from London, and when staged in Melbourne it received great praise from the press. Paul Cinquevalli, the world-famous juggler, is now in Sydney. His reception at the Tivoli was a record one, from first to last the audience was wildly enthusiastic, hearty and prolonged cheering taking the place of the usual hand-clapping. The "Bulletin" thus describes his wonderful performances: "The wondrous Cinquevalli has started to balance his unstable cannon-ball on one hair of his head at the Tivoli, and Sydney endorses the verdict which Melbourne passed on him. Cinquevalli is a wonder with a W as large as the Postoifiee tower. As a casual railway traveller, he keeps his open umbrella, his white belltopper, and his luggage all flying in the air at once for an indefinite period. He holds a match in his mouth, and lights it by throwing up a box off his ear and letting it graze the match in its descent. Then he tosses the lighted match and a candle in the air, and the candle lights through meeting the match in passing. In one of his more frivolous moments he balances a wine-glass on his chin, and a billiard-ball on the wine-glass, and a billiard-cue on the ball, and two billiard-balls on the end of the cue; and he looks unconcerned enough to borrow 3d with all this load upon him. Billiard-balls run all over him like rats; and a huge cannon ball wanders up and down him, and round him, and over him sideways and diagonally; he simply wriggles and the ball goes. The one trick which should be cut out is that where he catches the falling iron ball on his neck. The ball is heavy—the crash with which it strikes the floor proves that—and for a man who is worth Cinquevalli's salary to use himself to stop masses of falling metal is pure foolishness. There are lots of cheap men for it to fall on. Besides, Cinquevalli's strong point is as a juggler and balancei^-not a person who hinders falling hardware and intercepts ironmongery. In the balancing line he has never had an equal in "Australia. If he had been here in '93 this paper really believes he could have balanced the books of the City of Melbourne Bank"